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Sunday, 12 May 2013

Issue of the outsider

From the advent of Sumerians in 2200 BC to the Portuguese conquest
in the 16th century and thereafter, Goa has been home to an influx of migrants
since times immemorial. Some of the earliest were the Indo-Aryan migrations to Goa
and as empires changed, new installments of migrants set foot in Goa.
Presently, Goa is home to numerous migrants hailing from different parts of
India.

As per the census results declared on 1st march 2011, Goa's
population comprises of 14,57,723 individuals. Out of these, a
considerable chunk is migrant population. Though they contribute to the state’s demand
for labour work and odd jobs, they are seen as nothing more than a ghatee (Goan term for country bumpkins)
and bhaile (outsiders). I spoke to some
of these migrants, who have now made Goa their home, to listen to their side of
the story.

Gous Muddin Siddhapura a man in his sixties narrates his tale. He
came to Goa in 1967 from Karnataka and initially used to live in Altinho in a
ghetto near the TV tower. “Life was difficult then,” he says, “but we sailed
through. When I first came here, I was a carpenter and a construction worker.
At that time, my daily wage was Rs. 10 per day. The bus fare from Altinho to
the construction site was Rs. 3. With Rs. 6 invested in travel, I would be left
with only a meager four rupees to provide for my family. It was of course not
easy but I worked hard to make ends meet.

“The then government which was MGP led told us to leave from
Altinho. We had a Jhopadpatti Sangh whose leader was Ashraf Aga. We
demonstrated five times and then got arrested five times. The Delhi government
also intervened. Finally, after a lot of hullabaloo, under the Twenty
Points Programme, we got plots in Chimbel to build our own houses and
stay. We got property here, water supply and electricity was eventually
provided. A government primary school was also constructed for our children to
study in.

“Education is important for prosperity and to let the future
generation stand on their feet to lead a respectable life. Thus we built the
Jadeed High School here of which I was the founding chairman in 1993-1994. We
built the Chimbel Masjid and initially started Jadeed primary school there.
Then we got a permit to have higher classes, then introduced computer studies
and later founded the Jadeed Higher Secondary School.

“When this area was given to us to reside, Ashraf Aga named it
Indranagar as that time Indira Gandhi was the PM. When we first arrived here,
we were altogether 360 people. Today, over a thousand Muslim families and hundreds
of non-Muslim families reside in Indranagar. I have been living in Chimbel for
38 years and have faced no problem at all. We have the Panchayat’s permission
to stay here. We pay our taxes right. As long as you work sincerely and earn
your daily bread, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Not more than ten authentic Muslim Goans live here in Indranagar.
But other communities like Kunbi etc are many.” adds another source “The
inhabitants of Indranagar consist of people who come from Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madras, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh etc. There
are about 3000 houses with a population of 35000 people. The literacy level is
61%. People here work as vegetable vendors; government and private service,
drivers, mechanics, coolies, masons, construction workers and the ladies mainly
are employed as domestic servants in neighbouring villages.

“The houses in this area are government allotted under the Twenty
Points Programme. The new settlers set up in their ghettos in Gaffurbasti
near the water tank uphill. The people of the older generation are using their
own powers since they have become landlords now. This older generation has now
become aggressive. New people who settle here don’t interfere. They just keep
to themselves.”

Speaking about the increase in the level of crimes in Chimbel, he
says, “The crime rate is high here. Nowadays one will get to see a lot of police
nakabandi here near the bus stop.
This maybe out of suspicion. But you cannot blame the entire community if one
thing goes wrong. The bastifolk are
okay. But because of some people, the entire basti’s name is spoilt. Groups are formed for gundagiri, these are mixed groups of hooligans belonging to all
communities. They get into brawls and use physical power to assert their
authority. That way they think of themselves as mighty. Otherwise there is no
social tensions or communal tensions of any kind.

“The only threat migrants face is the fear of being removed from
here if they don’t vote. Chimbel is a vote bank for politicians. People here
have turned from passive to aggressive due to vote bank politics. The
antisocial attitude may be due to personal grudges. Otherwise, Indranagar a
safe place.”

A large percentage of migrants can be found in Vasco. In Baina
especially, hordes of shanties, and ghettos can be seen.Shahappa Harijan, originally from Bagalkot Karnataka, lives in a
tiny shanty on rent. “I work as an airport loader at the Dabolim airport. Our
parents came here years ago to work as labourers. We have been here since
childhood so we connect with Goa better. The people here are good to us and we
do not face any kind of problem. There are eleven members in our family and we
all live in a single room. In the past thirty years, we have moved from ghetto
to ghetto nomadically yet survived in Goa. We are all uneducated so cannot apply
for a qualified job. Let’s see what happens in the future.”

Prakash Rathod, another migrant who lives in Kattebaina says “My
family has been in Goa from the past 50 years. We live in legally built homes
and pay our taxes on time.” This young lad is a student of Mechanical
Engineering in Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi. He lives alone with his
mother who is a fish vendor. “My group of friends in college consists of Goans.
They treat me as their equal. In this area (Kattebaina), migrants come from different
communities like Banjarans, Marwadis, Marathas, Karnatakis, Punjabis, Gujratis,
Andhraites etc. Most of them live in slums and their occupation is primarily that
of labourers, plumbers, waiters, hotel helpers etc. Almost all the children
here go to school.

Overtime, Prakash and his neighbours have assimilated in the Goan
culture thus adopting the food and dress habits of Goa. “We speak Konkani and
English but we do not know our native tongue, ie Kannada. Most of us prefer
eating fish curry rice over dal bhaat. We have made Goa’s staple food our own. But
despite all this, people still say we are ghatees
and claim that we are living here illegally. Besides this we do not face any
grave difficulties. The only issue we faced in the past was from the indigenous
Goan fishermen who refused to sell fish to us since we are bhaile. Then we requested to them over and over after which they
complied.

“Another problem was created when the red light area was destroyed.
That time, some houses of innocent faqirs
living there were destroyed. Some of those houses were legal. The government
did not do anything to help them out of their misery. Now all those faqirs have
rebuilt a home for themselves and live in Shantinagar.”

Laxman Chavan, who lives in Moti Dongor, Margao also shares his
story, “My father was originally from Gadag, Karnataka. He came to Goa years
ago for a living. He settled here, got married here and thus I was born here.
It has been more than 40 years that we’ve been in Goa. Our predecessors have
sold our lands in our native place and come here in search of a better life. My
generation of ‘migrants’ were all born and brought up in Goa. We have
assimilated in the Goan culture completely. We cannot do without fish curry
rice just like any other Goenkaar
(authentic Goan). Our predecessors have died but still we don’t have an
identity. We have a voting card, ration card and even an Aadhaar card, yet we
are considered migrants.”

There are approximately 500 families living in Moti Dongor. Each
house is home to 3-8 families. Inhabitants of Moti Dongor claim that they all
live in peace and harmony and there is absolutely no communal tension. It is
only once in a while that there are personal tiffs between some of the families
in the neighbourhood. “All the inhabitants here are from the first settlements.”
continues Chavan, “All are from Karnataka. There is no new influx of migrants.
We have a school, mosque and two temples here. We all live in peace and
harmony. There is absolutely no communal tension. Goans are very nice people. I
have a lot of friends here. We don’t have tiffs with them either. The only
problem created here is by the politicians.”

Shabbier Shaikh, who has been in Goa from the past 35 years laments
about the predicament of being a migrant, “We always thought that we’re here to
stay but honestly speaking, we’re dangling in the middle. We neither belong in
our native land nor in our assimilated land. We are very unsure about our
future.

“Government demolished houses in Moti Dongor claiming that they are
illegal. We all live in fear today. The MLA says don’t worry but everyday
there’s something in the papers saying the government will demolish all illegal
houses. The only thing the MLA did was build toilets for our sanitation.

“If any crime takes place, they blame the inhabitants of Moti Dongor
for it. Even if there is a personal row between two families here, the incident
is exaggerated in the newspapers. We are uneducated and don’t know how to fight
for our rights. We get lured towards the leader that promises us a secure
future.

“Our women work as domestic help in many households. Some of them
even work in the houses of High Court lawyers and the Judge. If we were that
bad then why would such repecatable people employ our women? “

“Whether BJP government comes
to power or Congress, whether MGP or UGP, we have always supported the government
who promises us a secure future. It is therefore not a question of taking
sides. We request the present ruling party to take our woes into
consideration.”

“People are entitled to have
their opinions.” continues Prakash Rathod “If they hate us, they hate us; there
is nothing we can do about that. I can understand the insecurity that people
feel when it comes to migrants, they feel we are not good but what can we do?
We depend on Goa for our livelihood. If we are forced to leave despite our
legal rights then we’ll fight. After staying here for so many years, we are
also Goans.”

Abdul Karimsaaab orginally from Savanur Karnataka has been living in
Moti Dongor, Margao for over 50 years. Like most other migrants, he also came
to Goa to work as a labourer. “When I first settled in Moti Dongor, there were
about 8-10 houses here. Then, there was absolutely no problem here. It is only
now due to political influence that we face problems. We all used to live like
brothers and continue to do so. Otherwise if you go to see then there is no
fear here. It is just people who make a big hue and cry. We left our native
land to come and settle here; now this is our home. After half a century if you
suddenly tell us to leave this place, then where will we go?”